The Ache of Longing
by gaile
Summary: *CHAPTER 6 IS UP* Drew & Merrill, Karl & Essie. Where does that leave Marty?
1. Green with Envy & Daisy Dreams

Author's Note: Yeah, I know I've screwed around with the layout of the story again. I've decided now that every chapter on fanfic.net will contain two of my chapters because they're just too damn short. I've also been getting a lot of reviews, so I think I'll be working a bit more on this lately. If I feel really ambitious, I think I'll also wait and write two or three chapters before posting again. Just to make you wait. Aren't I evil?

****

The Ache of Longing

Green With Envy

He sat by his coffin, in front of a black table set ablaze with candles. Below him on the main floor, he saw the other occupants of the secret rooms in Mansbridge Academy. Merrill, Drew, Essie, and Karl. 

A wave of disgust swept through him as he saw Drew and Merrill kissing. Drew had finally gotten Sherry out of his mind when he realized that he couldn't love her. Not like he could love Merrill. Karl and Essie were hugging, the first step of a relationship. They thought they were so clever and nobody knew they liked each other, but he wasn't blind. He had tried to get with Essie once, but she had always rejected him. For Karl…

With the wave of disgust though, there was an ache of longing that threatened to tear him apart.

What was he thinking? He couldn't love anyone. It wasn't safe to show a weakness… But he was supposed to be safe at Mansbridge.

With a sigh of despair, Marty slipped into his casket and shut the lid. He would miss his feeding for it was early on in the night, but it was better than facing a want he could never fulfill.

*****

"Have you noticed anything strange about Marty lately?" Essie asked Karl a few nights later.

"Not really," he murmured back as he concentrated on the game of chess before him. Essie was beating him rather easily.

"He's been walking around the past few days with a weird look on his face and he's been missing his feedings. Marty never misses feedings. I'm worried about him," she voiced as she moved her bishop to take on of Karl's knights.

"Maybe he's sick," Karl suggested as he moved one of his game pieces.

Essie scoffed. "Vampires can't get sick Karl. You know that as well as I do."

"Not on a physical level we can't," he replied, "but what about on an emotional level?"

She snapped her fingers. "You know, you just may be right. I'm going to go ask Murdoch about it." She moved her queen. "Oh, and by the way," she added, "checkmate."

Karl stared dumbly at the chessboard while Essie swept silently out of the main room, heading to Dr. Murdoch's office.

**2**

Daisy Dreams

"So I think something is wrong with Marty," Essie finished after she had explained her worries to Dr. Murdoch, headmaster of the experiment which had brought the five vampires together.

"Hmm," he mused thoughtfully. "Would you bring Merrill in he? Perhaps we can get her to read him to find out what's wrong."

Essie turned and went off in search of the only other female vampire in the building.

Merrill arrived in the office a short time later, having absolutely no idea of what was going on. She just knew that Essie said she needed her help and it was going to require her reading technique. 

"So," she began slowly, "what am I doing here?"

"Essie's worried about Marty," Murdoch explained. "He's been missing his meals and obviously he would never tell anyone if there was something wrong with him. We need you to read him and relay the information back to us."

__

Marty? Were the first words that ran through Merrill's head. _Marty missing meals? Never happen._ She nodded her head in determination and went in the Trance State that was required before reading someone.

Merrill's breathing deepened and in her mind, she pictured Marty, with all of his normal swagger and rebel good looks. And suddenly, she was there, at the barrier to Marty's mind. He was sleeping in his coffin yet, which wiped any thoughts of Marty and his normal attempts at trickery and mischief. Marty would never be sleeping at night when there were tricks to play, food to eat, minds to mess with…

Merrill paused, not wanting to see the horrors Marty's dreaming might bestow on her, but grimly pushed when she remembered Essie and Dr. Murdoch's anxiety.

She entered his mind… and was pleasantly surprised. Instead of the blood and gore she had expected, she saw a field full of flowers in the bright sunlight. How long had it been since Merrill had seen the sun, dream or not? She could not remember. 

She stood invisible; floating just above the field of daisies that Marty was picking flowers from. Far off in the background, she could hear herself speaking of the flowers, and the beautiful, glorious sun. She heard Essie give an unbelieving laugh when she heard that Marty was picking flowers.

In his mind, Marty seemed to have finally picked enough flowers to make a large bouquet that turned into an assortment of daisies, Black-eyed Susans, carnations, snapdragon, roses, and violets. He rose and turned to give his gift to a figure far off in the southerly direction, nearly hidden amongst the dark glade of trees that had suddenly appeared. From where she was, Merrill could see the person had a feminine figure with curves to die for. However, the rest of her was undiscernibly shaded, even to Merrill's sharp eyes. 

Marty smiled broadly, the first truly happy smile Merrill had ever seen from him, one that wasn't edged with bitterness. He strode quickly towards the wooden glade, but just as it seemed he would get close enough to really see the girl, she faded from sight.

Marty's smile disappeared and he dropped the flowers, running towards the spot that the girl had stood on. Standing out on the dirt was a small poppy, the plastic kind that people wore on Remembrance Day. Marty stared at it in confusion, but silently picked it up and carefully put it into his pocket.

The scenery changed suddenly and Merrill was surprised to see the main room they shared together. She saw it from up high on the balcony, where Marty sat. She looked down and saw her and Drew kissing passionately. She saw Karl and Essie hugging each other. She recognized it as a scene that had happened a few nights before. 

She turned to Marty and saw jealousy and envy envelope his face. Then, as though they were one, she could hear his thoughts. 

__

Drew's got Merrill. Karl's got Essie. Where does that leave me? Why couldn't Essie love me instead? She knows I like her? Why did she reject me?, she heard him say fiercely. Then, _Why do I even care? Nobody could love a monster like me, only another vampire and I doubt that'll _ever _happen anytime soon. Murdoch would never let any of us leave for any reason. Stuck here with all of these lessons. For our own good my ass. _

Letting out a cry of inhuman rage, Marty woke up and Merrill was thrown harshly out of his mind, snapping back in Dr. Murdoch's office. 

"Well?" Dr. Murdoch and Essie waited patiently for Merrill's verdict.

Merrill hesitated, then told them what she thought. "I think Marty's lonely, and wants to find his soulmate, _his _One."

Dr. Murdoch and Essie were silent, contemplating her words.


	2. Confrontations & Vacation

****

3

Confrontations

Marty stormed angrily into Professor Murdoch's office, looking ready to bite someone's head off. He found Merrill, Essie, and Murdoch.

"Who in Satan's black pits gives you the RIGHT to mess with MY MIND!" he yelled angrily, extremely put out by the intrusion.

Merrill looked stricken, but Essie stepped in front of her before she could open her mouth in protest. "I asked her to, Marty. I thought there was something wrong with you. You been off by yourself lately and you've been missing your meals. I was worried," she pleaded softly, knowing Marty could not resist her charm when it was directed towards him. "_I _got Merrill to help me, because we care about you Marty, and we wanted to find out what was wrong."

Marty frowned, then hissed abruptly in annoyance. He could never stay angry with Essie for long. Merrill was another matter entirely. His blue eyes flashed dangerously as he turned to her. "So what did you see Merrill?" He asked, his silky-smooth voice barely hiding the tremble of rage beneath it.

"Flowers," she answered boldly, encouraged by Essie's support. Dr. Murdoch stood off to one side, ready to step in if the conversation took a turn for the worst. "Lots of flowers. Daisies mostly. And a poppy, and a girl who's face you couldn't see."

Marty's sly face melted into one of frustration and anguish. "You don't have a clue about what's going on with me," he snapped, harsher than he had originally intended.

"But I do," Merrill disagreed. "You see, at the very end of your dream, I could hear your thoughts. You're lonely, and want a female companion. You want someone to love Marty," she stated firmly, leaving no doubt in anyone's mind that that was exactly what was wrong with Marty.

"I don't need_ anyone_!" Marty yelled as he strode back to the door. "There's nothing wrong with me." After passing the doorway in the wall, he realized that he hadn't eaten in awhile like Essie had remarked. Feeling parched, he went off in search of his share of food. He found only Drew in the room, already busy tearing a hole in his packet of blood.

"Eating something tonight Marty?" he asked offhandedly. 

"Screw you," Marty replied, in no good mood to talk as he ripped a packet open with his teeth, and headed off to some dark corner to enjoy his meal. 

Drew looked up in surprise as he left, but figured Marty was just being Marty, and went back to eating. 

Finding a hidden corner, Marty settled down for an uninterrupted meal. Try as he might though, Marty could not enjoy his food, although the parched feeling soon faded reluctantly away.

**4**

Vacation

A few days later, after Dr. Murdoch had decided that Marty had had enough time to cool off, he called his five night students into his office after a lesson.

Karl, Drew, Essie, and Merrill sat down in the chairs in front of his desk while Marty faded into the shadows of a corner.

"So what's up Doc?" Karl asked, pretending to eat a carrot while he said it. Essie giggled.

"Ha ha," Dr. Murdoch replied, not amused. He gave them all a serious look, and began his spiel. "When the Elders had you brought here, they told me you were not to leave until you were civilized." He paused and smirked. "I know some of you have been off school grounds before, but as long as you weren't seen, didn't bring any attention to yourself, and came back before sun up, the Elders have allowed it. But you were never to go off for more than a few hours on your own."

"And this has to do what with us?" Marty interrupted insolently from the shadows.

"I was just coming to that, Marty. I expect Drew and Karl been filled in about Marty's behavior as of late?" He directed to Essie and Merrill. They nodded, along with Drew and Karl.

"What? You told _them!?!_" Marty cried. "Without my permission?" He snarled, but Dr. Murdoch continued, speaking to the rest of the group.

"Because Marty's strange behavior cannot be controlled by Marty himself, the Elders have granted him leave from Mansbridge Academy for exactly two weeks. No more, no less. They have also decided that one of you should be sent with him."

Marty jumped out of the corner, his expression one of disbelief. "They're letting me outta this place? Glory be!" he stopped. "Who are you sending with me?" he asked cautiously. The other four looked at Dr. Murdoch, each hoping for a chance at some _real_ freedom.

Murdoch smiled. "Karl." Marty groaned. "Karl is going to make sure you don't get out of hand, aren't you Karl?" he asked. 

Karl gulped, then nodded.

"You're dismissed, but I want to see Marty and Karl in here exactly one hour before sunup. Then we'll go over your travel plans. The Elders want to send you to a vampire city in California, where you will meet others of your kind, who have been 'civilized' already."

*****

"So _where_ are we going?" Marty asked specifically when he, Karl, and Dr. Murdoch reconvened in the Dr.'s office.

"_You_ are going to Taberinth, a peaceful vampire establishment in California. You'll find other vampires there who have been able to tame their own instincts and live peacefully among one another."

"Sound peachy," Marty retorted.

"Would you rather stay here?" Dr. Murdoch asked dangerously.

Marty smirked, finally ticking the good doctor off. "Two weeks of absolute freedom or two weeks of watching the vampire soap opera developing right under my nose. I think I'll pass on the drama. I'm in," he smiled.

Dr. Murdoch nodded. "Karl?" he asked the unusually silent vampire.

"Whatever," he muttered, unable to believe that his two weeks of freedom would be spent with Marty, of _all_ people. He sighed. "I'm in."

"Good," Murdoch nodded. "Then it's settled. 

Taberinth. A place of civilized vampires, or a place of mindless drones? And what of the young vampiress that seems to be appearing in Marty's dreams. And will Karl succumb to the town's lovely young ladies, or is his love for Essie strong enough to withstand temptation?


	3. Taberinth & Sleeping Griffin

**5**

Taberinth 

"Good day, young masters," the limo driver said. "Or should I say 'good night'?" He chuckled at his own wit. Karl smiled dryly and nodded.

"Can we just go?" Marty asked, looking over his shoulder at Drew, Essie, and Merrill. Their parting affair had been rather brief, although Essie had given Karl an extraordinarily long kiss, and Marty just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.

"Certainly," the limo driver, whose nametag read David, said. "Please hop in. I'm sure you'll find everything to your liking on your trip to Taberinth."

Marty and Karl climbed into the limo, admiring the lush leather seats and the large TV screen in front of them.

It would have probably been a very long and uninteresting trip to Taberinth had the duo not discovered the hoard of blood in the fridge, which they devoured greedily. 

Then the pair sat down for a long evening in front of the boob tube, watching what else, but Dracula.

~~~~~

"Welcome to Taberinth, young masters," David said as he drove slowly towards a café on the edge of town. "Vehicles are not permitted within the city limits, so I shall have to drop you off here. The owners of the café will give you directions for the Sleeping Griffin, which is the local tavern/inn. You'll find people are a bit old fashioned here, but I'm sure you would be too if you had been born in the 15th century or earlier."

Marty got out suavely, but Karl hesitated. "Come on, big guy," Marty urged. "Get out and enjoy the show. When was the last time you were free to walk around by yourself?"

That seemed to have helped, because Karl finally stepped out, and looked at his surroundings. David drove off and still he looked on silently, for sitting by one of the tables in the café, their pale skin lustrous in the artificial sunlight shining on them, were two of the fairest vampiresses he had ever seen. The first, a tall blond who could have easily passed for a teenage model, was sipping her tea delicately. She smiled when she saw Karl looking at her with such focus, and casually waved them over.

"Hi," she greeted. "My name's Marisa. You must be Karl and Marty."

Marty stared at her suspiciously, and Marisa's equally attractive partner, a redhead, jumped into the conversation. "We haven't been spying on you," she assured, waving her delicate fingers around like an aristocrat. "That's not our power. The Elder of this town informed us that you would be coming for a bit of a spell."

"Ah," Marty replied. "I would be Marty Strickland, at your service milady," he said as he grasped the redhead's hand and delivered a kiss on the inside of the palm. 

"Janelle Sloychuk," she replied with a sly smile on her face. "We hear one of you is looking for your one?" she asked curiously, making a point of looking at Karl.

"That would be me," Marty replied.

"Hmm," Marisa smiled. "So would your friend happen to be free?" She looked at Karl with a predator type look on her face.

"I have a girlfriend," Karl replied haltingly. _Think of Essie, think of Essie_, he said to himself, trying to block out the sight of the two heavenly creatures before him. 

"Fun stuff," Janelle commented.

"Yeah," Marty said, "but we should really be going, so…"

"We'll see you around," Marisa said.

"Right." Marty walked into the café and found the owners, an old man and woman, behind the counter. "Where could I find the Sleeping Griffin?" he asked.

The old man gave him direction in an almost mechanical sounding voice as the woman moved items around the café in an almost too organized manner. Marty soon left the building more than a bit disturbed.

**6**

Sleeping Griffin

He was dreaming again. Marty realized this as soon as the oh so sweet smell of daisies filled his nose. Still, he was unable to wake himself up, something that was such a basic instinct it could have been done with the snap of his fingers. He should have been able to wake himself up. Marty tried, just to see if he could. He couldn't. He didn't even know if he wanted to. The first part of the dream, the part that had led the others to believe Marty was searching for his _One_, was so beautiful and breathtaking, The rest, the rest was too horrible for words. Marty didn't want to see it. Without the intrusion of someone in his mind like the last time however, he knew he would be forced to. For some reason, whoever was sending the dreams didn't want others to see the second part…

_Blood flowed freely from multiple wounds. He was starving, the parched feeling crawling from the tip of his tongue down his throat, kicking him viciously in the stomach. The blood lust was too strong. _

He looked down and saw pale, feminine arms. He wasn't Marty Strickland anymore, but an unnamed female. A dark mist covered his vision, but as far as he could tell, there was no mist in room.

Two figures appeared suddenly in front of him and he gazed unwillingly at them. He was the person in his dream, but he couldn't control it. 

"Are you ready to join us?" one of the figures asked.

"Fuck you, you sick twisted bastards," he answered, or she did anyway. The voice was meant to be light and airy, but had grown heavy with bloodlust.

"It will end if you accept our proposal," the second figure said. It was familiar, but Marty couldn't concentrate…couldn't figure it out…it was cold and he was so hungry…

"MARTY! WAKE UP!" A voice sounded from beside him. He jumped up, revealing washboard abs and a pair of boxers.

"What!" he asked, his fangs showing.

Karl backed off slowly. "You were having a bad dream, man. I was trying to wake you up."

Marty sighed. "Sorry," he apologized. He grabbed some pants and a forest-green sweater and headed out into the kitchen area. He practically ran into the kitchen to grab a packet of blood. Ten minutes and five drained packets later, he gazed up to see Karl looking at him.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked.

Marty shook his head. "Maybe later," he replied. _When I have this whole thing figured out_ he added to himself. He had been with his One; he had _been_ in his One's body. What could it have possibly meant. She was in danger, that he was sure. And though he didn't know how, he knew she was somewhere close by. She was waiting for him to come and save her.

_How can she depend so much on me when she doesn't even know me_? Marty shook his head in confusion, but he was going to find the answer.


End file.
